The report from the survey of ASCA members about current issues in corrections that was conducted in June and July 2011 is available on the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) web site. This survey asked ASCA members to identify the top four issues facing their agencies and rate the priority of each of those issues. Twenty-seven agencies responded to the survey. From the survey results, the top four issues were: 1. State Budget Cuts 2. Cost Of Inmate Health Care 3. Mentally Ill...

Released on April 7th as part of the NAACP’s “Smart and Safe Campaign”, Misplaced Priorities , examines America's increasing levels of prison spending and its impact on state budgets, particularly in the area of education. Misplaced Priorities tracks the steady shift as funding for prisons has grown over funding for both higher education and K-12 education. Research emphasizes the relationship between education levels and crime and delinquency for adolescents in a community...

The U.S. represents 5% of the world’s population and contains 25% of the world’s incarcerated population. China follows the U.S. holding 14% of the world’s incarcerated population. In plain English, that means the U.S. locks up a lot more people than any other country in the world—and that’s expensive. What determines the size of correctional populations? The Norval Morris Project’s Keystone Group commissioned author James Austin to produce "Reducing America's...

This blog is funded by a contract from the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.